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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. staff — employees
  4. toast — bread
  5. band — a ring
  6. toast — the most admired
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. club — for golf
  9. drill — army training
  10. band — a music group
  11. drill — the tool
  12. spring — of water
  13. spring — the season
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. staff — a stick
  16. staff — employees
  17. bark — to shout
  18. rush — hurry
  19. club — for dancing
  20. spring — a coil
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. toast — a drink to someone
  23. club — a group
  24. bark — of a tree

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com